Spirit of Firebending
by tresbeinensemble
Summary: Fire Lord Zuko has overcome many challenges in the first five years of his rule, but imbalance and strife is still all around him. With family troubles and Earth Kingdom difficulties vying for his priority, Zuko struggles to stay focused as a spiritual presence beckons him. NEW CHAPTERS EVERY WEEK! Please share your thoughts in a review.
1. A Wisp

"Stay low and stay quiet."

Zuko whispered through the mist that clung to thin air. He and a dozen men in metal suits of red and gold crept across the wind whipped terra. In pairs or groups of three the elite guards clambered down beneath the surface of the bedrock with the wave of a scout. Zuko received a respectful bow from him as he ducked into the cool caverns. Ahead of him in the narrow path he could see orange lights dancing on the eroded walls. He strode forward until his hand met the shoulder of the first man casting a flame.

"Put that light out now," he demanded.

They fell into the pitch darkness. After a moment their eyes adjusted and they could make out the shadowed figures of their companions around them. Zuko nudged the nearest soldier and they began their advancement through the underground tunnels, one hand suspended in front of him level with his shoulders, the other clenched tightly around his dual swords. He strained his ears, trying to train them to listen like a komodo hound. Faint voices trailed along the slick tunnel towards them. Zuko followed it until he saw light flickering around a corner and could discern what the voices discussed in secret. The guards filed silently passed him and settled into formation.

"- thus far has failed. And you're getting sloppier," said one man gruffly.

"If we keep this up, we will all meet our demise."

"There are still enough of us left," said a familiar voice. "We just need one more opportunity. I know that we can succeed because we have honor on our side. Zuko was disowned and discredited. Even with the blood of the Fire Nation and Avatar Roku, the boy is a usurper."

"What can we do? He is well guarded and the tides of the common people have turned greatly since you've hid yourself away."

"The boy is popular. He has increased productivity and living standards exponentially. The Fire Nation is trading and communicating with the rest of the world like it never has before."

Zuko swelled with pride. In the five years since the war, the Fire Nation stepped up to help reconcile for their past. They blazed a new, less destructive trail to unity and harmony. He knew he must have achieved some true greatness if those plotting against him had to consider themselves. There was a shuffle of feet, a clatter, and a groan.

"The Fire Nation is greater than trade routes and peace treaties. The boy will turn our power into softness and mediocrity before our very eyes. I refuse to let one hundred years go to waste, not while Ozai lives. I will fight every day. Zuko will die, even if I have to kill him myself."

"Go! Go! Go!" burst one of the commanders.

The voices had condemned themselves with their words and now the guards jumped into action. There were shouts and plumes of orange flames from both sides. A guard checked Zuko's shoulder with his elbow as he hustled eagerly towards the fight, but the knock drew Zuko's eyes down another tunnel. Moving briskly away was a small white light. He called after it, but it did not falter. None of the others would chase after this mystery, so he did. He followed it around corners twisting through the labyrinth that years of crashing ocean waves and volcanic eruptions created.

He realized after a few moments that he could see more sharply. There was natural light somewhere nearby. He saw long hair whip around a corner not far ahead. He turned his head down and charged, calling for the figure to stop. As he turned the corner, sunlight slapped him across the face. His eyes were wide open facing the cliff-side cave. There was no one there. He closed the gap between himself and the edge of the cave. He looked down, seventy feet to the ocean throwing violent waves against the rocks. He looked up, a vertical climb of twenty feet.

He settled his breathing and scanned every crevice of the cave to no avail. Then he tried to make his way back to the others. He nursed a guiding flame in his hand, watching the tendrils flit up, and thinking about what he saw. He figured it must be a girl with hair the flowed long enough to betray her around a corner. He could not fathom where she had gone. A fire-bender and non-bender would have found no escape. An earth bender could have created and sealed a new tunnel without issue. A water bender could have brought the waves to them and softened their dive into the sea.

There were more than a few benders from other nations who found secret sanctuary in the Fire Nation during the war. Zuko removed the faceplate from his helmet and pinched his chin thoughtfully with his free hand. He had been a favorite to the other nations ever since the compromise of Yu Dao, so it was unlikely, but not impossible that anyone of them would be privy to the pro-Ozai meeting. If it was an enemy, why flee when Zuko offered himself as a clear shot. The flash of hair floated in the front of his thoughts as he clambered up and out of the caverns.

"Your highness," said Admiral Yan with a bow. "Deepest apologizes, we did not realize you were left behind."

"I combed the tunnels for any other traces of treachery."

"I will have my men search every inch of this place, sir. The conspirators are here," he said, leading Zuko to the tree line where a handful of dirty nobles were bound to the trunk of a tree.

Among them was Mai's father. Where the others dropped their gazes to the ground, her father looked him straight in the eyes. When the war ended, Mai asked for her father's pardon and Zuko conceded, finding him a harmless position tending to the reconstruction of Earth Kingdom towns. However, it took no more than a month for him to show his true colors. When the first reports surfaced about a faction which sought to return Ozai to the throne, Zuko was livid to hear Mai's father was the ring-leader. Then, when Mai refused to speak to her father in Zuko's favor, it created the first of many wedges that separated them.

"How is Mai?" asked Zuko.

His face curled up in fury and confusion. "I'm sure you know better than I do, bastard king!"

He spit at him. It had barely splattered Zuko's chest plate before a couple of guards were upon him. He turned away from the prisoners and crossed the strip of forest between the road and rock. On the roa, a dragon-moose hitched to a plain grey carriage stamped its hoof. He opened the door and put a foot up on the step, when he felt a prickle on the back of his neck.

Nothing shifted in the trees as he examined the space between each trunk. He gazed up into the foliage but found no sign in the thin branches. So he ducked his head and set off back to the capitol in his carriage. His distraction accompanied him all the way back to his chamber as his dressers helped him out of his armor. Kyoshi warriors replaced Fire Nation guards at his door and their captain approached him with a friendly smile.

"You look troubled, Zuko? Was it Mai's father?" asked Suki.

"No," he said.

The rest of team Avatar was stretched thin across the globe, but Suki remained in the Fire Nation with the other Kyoshi warriors in Zuko's charge. They were his elite personal bodyguard. Suki was the most helpful of Zuko's company in the Fire Nation. However recently, Sokka insisted that she join him in Yu Dao to live and serve on the Unity Council, but she refused. Even when Zuko urged her to make a choice that made her happy, she chose to stay in the capitol. He could never discern why, but he was grateful for her company. She listened when he needed to talk and provided comfort when he needed to sit in silence.

"Right," said Suki, rapping her fans on her leg. "What was it, then?"

"I saw something odd," he mumbled. "But I'll explain later."

He could not put to words the light that lead him or the wisp of hair he _thought_ he saw disappear of the cliffside. He turned back to the mirror hanging from the wall, tugging his hair free from the top knot. With alot of combing, it fell into its natural shag.

"Okey, there is still plenty of day left. I already tried talking to your mother," said Suki, cheerily. "You and your family should go out for a walk…"

Her expression lemoned as Zuko raised an eyebrow at her. She shook it off. "I don't know, something outside for a change."

"For now, I think I'll take a nap, but maybe later my mother, sister, and I can go for a walk."

His stoic sarcasm was not lost on Suki. She nudged him jokingly and left the chamber. The curtains were drawn and, with the darkness, sleep rushed in. Rest had not been easy to find when the leaders of Pro-Ozai had been at large, stirring dissension where Zuko was only trying to build trust. He had made great strides to that effect in the last five years, but some islands and territories were so damaged that Zuko could barely claim them as part of his kingdom. _Find your own light._

Mountains rose from Zuko's sea of dreams. A streak of blue flashed past him on one side, then a powerful burst of red flew past his other. The ancient dragons Ran and Shaw twirled and danced in the valley. Suddenly, they turned to face Zuko, opened their mouths and drowned him in light.

Zuko sat bolt upright. There was a knocking at his door. A clamour came and the door opened. The bottom half of a green skirt fell into the room and Ty-Lee's face followed right behind.

"Sorry, Zuko," she grinned. "Suki, doesn't understand why you shouldn't interrupt someone sleeping in the afternoon."

Suki sighed, impatiently, so Zuko decided not to indulge Ty-Lee. "What's going on?"

"You're mother wants you to take tea with her," said Suki.

"You couldn't have made some kind of excuse?"

"I think you want to have some tea, Zuko," she continued, pronouncing each word deliberately. "Azula's there and her tea has a very peculiar flavor."

He set off through the palace with the Kyoshi warriors falling into stride around him. His younger sister had been lost for months after their emotional reunion with their mother four years ago. She finally turned up on the outskirts of the Si Wong Desert, dehydrated and delusional. Each day became a new struggle for Zuko and Ursa as they tried everything they could to aide in Azula's recovery. Not many, outside the royal family, and those Zuko trusted utmost, knew about this plight. In fact, only Suki knew about their newest trial, as it had been Sokka who shared it with her.

"How much has she had?" Zuko asked.

He put his hand on the door knob, took a deep breath and entered without looking to Suki for an answer. There were no flames burning along the front of the hall, which left the room cooler and more welcoming than Zuko had ever known it. A thick rug had been brought to rest in the center of the stone floor and two women with long, dark hair lounged upon it. On the steps which led to the throne sat a half dozen musicians, tuning their instrument between songs, which left Zuko's footfalls to fill the silence. One of the women jumped to her feet.

"Zu-zu," she bounded forward. He stopped in his tracks, preparing for impact. Azula threw her arms around his neck and squeezed him tightly. He could smell a hint of cactus juice through the aroma of her combed hair. "I am so glad you are here. Mother and I are trying to find all the lava rocks."

Her golden eyes were glassy and her palms warm as she pulled Zuko closer to the silver bowls filled with little stones and pebbles. She plopped back down and continued prodding the smooth, black volcanic rocks away from the rest. Zuko remained standing, watching his sister. Their mother brushed the long strands of Azula's hair out of her face, then she looked up at her son. She read the distaste on his furrowed brow and stood up.

"What's the matter, Zuko?"

"She's been given cactus juice again," he murmured. "That's the third time this week."

Ursa put an arm on his shoulder. "Yes, I know, but her mind is settled by the concoction. Nothing else we have tried has been nearly as effective. Don't you see that she feels better?"

"No," he said, turning away from her touch. "I see that she is addled. I see that we have given up trying to actually fix her. I do not want her to be treated with cactus juice any more. There must be a better way."

Azula lifted a red marble to the lights that flickered in the chandeliers above them. She rolled it carefully between her thumb and forefinger, then held it up to Zuko. He knelt at her side and offered his open hand where she placed the cold bead.

"It looks like fire," she said, dreamily. "I can bend fire, but it's not like that."

"What is yours like, Azula?" he questioned her.

She sifted through her collection and emerged with a jagged, blue rock. She gripped it tightly, slowly her fingers went white. Whatever draught she was given rendered her infantile. Even when she tried, all she managed to bend were lethal bolts of lightning. After a moment, Zuko felt two thick droplets fall onto his leg. He touched the dark spot and saw red. He gasped. Azula squeezed the rock until it cut into her skin.

"Azula?!" he said, forcing the object away.

She cackled wildly as Zuko soaked up the blood with a piece of his clothing. He tugged one of the belts from around his middle and started to bandage her up. Ursa watched sheepishly as her son tended to her daughter's self-inflicted wounds.

"Why did you do that?" he said.

"It's alright," she said, stifling her laughter. "It's alright, Zuko. I can't feel it. I can't feel anything."

He released her hand and she threw herself backward onto the rug, renewing her maniacal laughter so that it echoed around the hall, throwing the musicians out of beat. Zuko's anger rose and he clambered to his feet. He cast an accusatory look at his mother and left the hall without another word to either of them. He felt her struggle, for it had been his own. His uncle had been his savior in these hard times. Zuko didn't know if he was strong enough to save Azula.


	2. To the Cliffside Again

For the next few days, Zuko sat in court with other specially chosen representatives to pass judgment on the Pro-Ozai supporters. And, although, the circumstances were grim he was glad to have Sokka back. A verdict was announced on the final day of deliberations by one of the Fire Sages. Mai's father and one other old nobility were found to be the ring leaders, with plenty of evidence of their treachery. They were sentenced to life imprisonment, while the others were given ten or twenty years in prison, along with a lifetime of indentured servitude. As they emerged from the court hall, a throng of women rained down on the two young men.

"Please, my lord, Raza is my husband."

"What about our children?"

"He didn't know what he was doing. He has always been a loyal subject to the Fire Nation."

Guards gathered the women and pulled them away. Sokka continued on his merry way, talking rapidly with Suki, while Zuko turned to the women. They had the heavy, lidded eyes of those who had not stopped crying. They clung to their children, some young, some old. Hopelessness surrounded them. Their homes would be seized and their incomes eradicated. Any honor that their family had earned would be stripped in the eyes of so many. They did not deserve to suffer the consequences of actions they could not control.

"Your loved ones have left you in a most undesirable situation. I know what it means to be left with nothing by those who were supposed to be there, to care. It is not fair for you to pick up from these ashes on your own. Therefore, you will leave your names with the Admiral Yan. The Fire Nation will not leave innocent women and children to fend for themselves on the street. Will you let me help you through these hard times?"

By the end of this speech everyone had turned to listen to the young Fire Lord with his hand outstretched to those in need. From the silence, earsplitting cheers and jubilation burst from the crowd. Kyoshi warriors guided Zuko through his subjects. Calls of love and fealty followed him along the way. Occasionally, he felt hands sliding across his robes.

"Wow, they'll hoist you on their shoulders before too long," said Sokka, clapping him on the back. "You won't want Katara to hear about this. She has it in her head that _she's_ the most loved, even more than Aang."

"Zuko is the most cherished royal in the world, easily. The Earth King is a fool and the chiefs of the Water Tribes are more revered than loved," said Suki.

Today, she was without makeup and tucked into Sokka's shoulder. Her eyes still narrowed when looking around and she murmured directions to her warriors every now and then. The crowds thinned as they made their way to the docks where Sokka's ship bobbed gently in the shallow waters. Zuko rubbed his neck, mumbling his uncertainties.

"Stop," said Sokka. "We all knew you'd be a great leader, Zuko. What we don't know is what you think of my boat?!"

He jumped about excitedly. He shined a spot on the wood with his elbow. He shot across the deck to indicate the wolf insignia on the smaller schooner sails. He tumbled down back onto the docks bringing their attention to the four silver letters painted onto the side.

"It's nice. I thought you said it was revolutionary? That no ship in the Fire Navy would be able to match it in speed. It looks to me like a regular schooner with Suki's name on it."

"It has a pump which brings water in from the front," said Sokka, guiding them around the back of the ship and pointing into the murky depths. "The water is pushed through generators which make the propellers turn. We've recorded speeds almost as fast as a saber toothed moose-lion."

"That's impressive."

"Yes, it is. I will be able to get back to Yu Dao in time for the Council meeting and then make it back here for your birthday party," said Sokka.

Zuko's eyes widened. He knew his birthday was approaching but he expected it to pass, just as it had the last four years without any fuss or fanfare. He seized Sokka by the shoulders.

"Who said anything about my birthday?"

"Your mother sent out invitations months ago. It didn't say anything about it being a surprise," said Sokka, pulling away and adjusting his scabbard on its harness.

Straightening up, Zuko shook his friend's hand and walked away to allow the lovers a moment to bid each other farewell. He cast his eyes up to the extinct volcano that was the palace city. Since their last encounter Zuko had barely shared three words with his mother, except to apologize for his shortness. He worried about Azula and wondered how they were expected to host anyone for a party with her in such a delicate state.

"Are you ready to head back?" asked Ty Lee, blinking her big, gray eyes from under all the war paint.

"No, I need to be alone for a little bit," said Zuko, ducking his head a little. He knew that Suki would not approve of him going off on his own. "Do you think you could cover for me?"

"How long do you think we can get him, girls?" she asked.

The other Kyoshi warriors, normally so quiet and reserved, burst into conversation, trying to determine the most effective way to keep their captain out of the loop. Ty Lee nodded and grinned, seeming to be able to absorb every word. Finally, she lifted her hand.

"We can guarantee that you have three hours before she'll go looking for you beyond the palace gates."

He smiled. "You're great, Ty Lee."

With the Kyoshi warriors help, they emerged from the capitol city. Zuko stripped away the most obvious signs of his title like his golden hair piece, the balance beads Aang had presented him at his coronation, and his over coat. Now, he was just a man in a tang suit. He thanked the girls again and trekked off into the thinly wooded countryside. The sun drooped in the sky. He was certain he had a full hour before sunset. He made the most of his time, making a deliberate path for the rocky shoreline on the opposite side of the island.

He waited behind the tree line when he arrived at the rocky flat. There was no movement. He just watched as dusk fell over the island. Then, just as he resolved to abandon his stake out a figure streaked out of the trees a hundred yards from him. He recognized the billowing hair even in the low light heading straight for the entrance to the tunnels below. When she was about half way there, Zuko charged off after her.

"Wait," he called when he dropped into the dark, damp tunnels.

He glimpsed her startled face in the little flame she nursed in her hand as a guiding light. She did not stop, though. She continued away on the same path as before. He continued to call to her, wanting to say something to make her understand that he wasn't _bad_.

Soon they emerged into the cave. But she didn't stop, she swept her guiding flame into a wave of white fire, which he had to cross his arms over his face to block. Then, he saw her jump backwards off the edge of the cliff. Zuko screamed and tried his best to snatch her back. He felt the linen of her peasant dress slip between the tips of his fingers. She did not fall. He did not look down to see the mangled remnants of the lovely, young woman on the jagged rocks below, instead he felt the temperature rising rapidly around him. He looked up to see white and orange cones of swirling fire bursting from her knuckles. She was suspended gingerly in midair. She stared at him with her hair billowing around her face like a third flame. They shouted in unison.

"Who are you?!"

"I'm Fire Lord Zuko."

"Why are you following me, Fire Lord Zuko?"

"How are you doing that?"

He took a few steps away from the edge, studying her. She shifted from side to side by the slightest movement of her clenched fists. Her fear turned to curiosity as Zuko looked at his own knuckles. The flames that propelled her were not too big, just concentrated. He bent his knees and flung himself off the edge. She bellowed out a warning to no avail. He felt the flames burst from his knuckles, but they were not nearly as controlled as the girl's. The heat almost instantly set fire to his trouser. He turned to look at the damage and began to plummet.

He couldn't breathe. He couldn't scream. He just watched as his death drew closer and closer. Just when he would have plastered the cliff side with blood, he felt another force shove him farther out to sea, so when he crashed he sunk beneath the turbulent waves. Zuko wriggled and paddled but he was still sinking. He could feel the currents dragging him down. Without meaning to, he gasped and salty water filled his lungs.

Where was the flying girl? Had she knocked him away from the imminent death? Was she still trying to save him? Could she even swim? Azula appeared before him, drenched in water and held down by chains. She let out a silent scream, blue fire burst from her mouth, and everything around Zuko went dark.


	3. Delirium

Heels clicked and backs straightened hurriedly as the Fire Lord marched towards the gates out of the palace city, alone. They shuffled uncertainly as Zuko halted before the heavy stone. He stood silently for a second, hoping that they would not need to be so obviously directed. He touched the warm, throbbing lump on the back of his head. It had been three days since a search party found him washed up on the beach with scrapes on his arms, burns on his legs, and a gash in his head. No one had seen or heard anything about a flying, fire bending girl and Zuko was encouraged to rest. He sighed. One of the guards removed the faceplate from his helmet.

"Your highness, why aren't you at the festival?" he said.

"That is not your concern," Zuko snapped. "Now open the gate!"

The guards bustled into action. One man tugged a rope on a pully, while two others took a steady stance before a pair of golden horns on each side of the gate. They shot fire directly into the horns. Slowly, the stone slid aside continuing the cobbled path out into a meadow. Zuko nodded his thanks, while the guards bowed low. He emerged on the other side as the stone slid back into place. Two more guards straightened from where they were bending into an identical pair of horns on the outside. They bowed, but he blinked and continued on his way.

At the end of the path, the Fire Nation capitol was a light with activity. Music danced up to him and the gentle hum of celebration was all around. Zuko did not continue to town, instead he turned sharply off the path into the trees. After a few steps, he released the hanfu closures on his lapel and removed the heavily embroidered suit. Then he removed the decorative shin covers from his boots and golden insignia from his top knot, rolled the one within the other, and folded it into the red suit.

He easily found a hollow spot in a gnarled trunk and tucked the most restrictive of his garments safely inside. Zuko could almost hear the judgmental tongue clicking of everyone advising him to take it easy, but he did not care. It was his twenty-second birthday. His entire kingdom took a holiday to celebrate. Everyone of any importance arrived in the capitol to attend the courtyard festival. All while Zuko was cooped in his chamber recovering from a near death experience. Ursa had made no effort to retract her plans or even if Zuko wanted it, which he did not.

Still much of the festival Zuko had enjoyed, especially with Azula at his side. There were fire bending acrobats, a fourteen piece orchestra, trained platypus-bears, and a delicious feast. Then, the presentation of the gifts began. Zuko sat high above his guests, with his mother and sister on pillows at his side, while servants brought out his presents to be admired one by one. He received classical texts and rare scrolls from every nation. There were baskets of delicacies and hand-forged weapons for his arsenal. He gave humble thanks for each and every item, until Ursa stood.

_She clambered down the steps as the servants stood at the ready. "Fire Lord Zuko, you have guided your nation through so much uncertainty these past five years and we have much to thank you for. We have watched you grow from a brave young man to a great leader and so the elders have commissioned this gift."_

_As she spoke one of the servants bent the stone away to create a hole in the floor between him and his comrade. Zuko enjoyed watching earth benders at work in the heart of the Fire Nation, but felt Azula start to quake. He put an arm around her. Then both men raised something large and covered in a white sheet up into the courtyard. The crowd erupted with cheers as the sheet fell away._

He knew that he had put distance between himself and the capitol, by now. Zuko sat on a boulder feeling the warmth of the sun on his face and arms. He reveled in the silence for what felt like a long while. Every day since his coronation consisted of constant activity and vigilance. There was a crunch of brush under a light foot, Zuko jumped to his feet in ready position.

A young woman with her hair pinned into several decorative loops around her face appeared from behind a tree. It was Katara, so Zuko dropped his guard. She smiled, gently. She and Aang had arrived aboard Appa the previous evening and were brought directly to Zuko who was allowed to stand for the first time.

"What are you doing out here?" he asked her.

"I could ask you the same thing," she said. "You gave the Kyoshi warriors the slip. Suki told me you've been doing that lately. They're worried. It took a lot of convincing to let me come to find you on my own. What's wrong?"

"The statue…"

He sat back down and she took a seat next to him. "I thought it might be that."

"What am I going to do with a giant statue of myself?"

"That is a good question. You remember the statue on Kyoshi Island? That was constructed during her lifetime, you know?"

"But she was an Avatar."

"She was also a war hero. She ended the advance of Chin the conqueror."

Zuko grumbled. "I know the history. My statue shoots fire. I don't want it in the capitol. It seems like something my father would enjoy seeing every day. Not me. I would take down my painting down from the Hall of Portraits if my mother would let me. I don't need that kind of recognition."

"What about the republic city? They are opening a transportation center that will connect all of the nations," said Katara. "I think the symbolism of Fire Lord Zuko watching over travelers will resonate for years to come."

He thought for a moment and nodded. "Yes, I think that will be fine."

"Good," she said. "Now, do you want to come back to the party?"

He shook his head. "How is Azula?"

_The festival goers' cheers intensified as a plume of red flames burst from Zuko's hammered iron palm. He was so dumbfounded by the massive monument before him that he did not realize that Azula moved away from him with wide-eyes fixed on the Earth benders. Someone called out to the Princess and she charged._

_"They are Dai Li agents!" she shrieked. "They are here to kill me!"_

_The earth benders scattered as the ground where they stood became charred black by the fierce bolt of electricity Azula fired at them. The crowds whipped themselves into a frenzy as Azula continued her reckless pursuit. The guards shuffled their feet, unwilling to be the first individual to cross her. It was Ty Lee who reacted. She flipped herself easily from where she stood guard on the walls and laid three well placed strikes on her childhood friend, who fell limp at the base of the statue. Zuko, himself, carried his sister inside to her chambers as others took charge of the crowds outside. After leaving her there, in the careful hands of her normal caretakers, Zuko had left the palace._

"She is resting, now," said Katara. "Your mother wanted her to take a draught of cactus juice, but her caretakers wouldn't even let Ursa in her room."

Zuko did not respond. He picked the two burly nurses himself, knowing that their allegiance would not waiver, even where the dowager Lady was concerned. His mother had made a promise to not expose her daughter to alternative treatments, but he remembered the distress on her face when he awoke from his injuries. He wondered how long she spent wallowing on the possibility of losing him, and if she would suffer the same way to lose Azula. When Katara said his name, he jumped, having nearly forgotten she was there. He waved his hand, dismissively, although he was grateful for the company.

"You go ahead. I will be fine for a while longer. Tell Suki and the other Kyoshi warriors that I will be back before it gets dark."

She patted him on the shoulder and started back through the trees. Zuko sighed and carried on walking in the opposite direction until he emerged on a hill, which sloped down onto a sandy beach. He could see the rocky cliffs in the distance and considered the chances that this had been where several very frightened scouts found him face down in the sand.

Almost as if answering him, he spotted someone sitting near the water. His heart pounded in his chest and he felt his feet moving without command, down the side of the hill towards the beach. He wanted to speak out, make her aware of his approach, but his tongue felt too heavy to move. The ground beneath his feet started to shift as it turned from earth to sand. She sensed him behind her and turned. He banally waved at her.

To his surprise, she pulled her knees underneath herself and bowed her head into the sand. "My lord, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, please, I have been a loyal subject. My father, brothers, and uncle all fought and died for this kingdom. I don't know why I ran."

"Wh-what? No, stop," he said, crouching down and lifting her shoulders. "Sit up. What are you talking about?"

"I… They said… you almost died."

"You didn't make me jump. I did that myself and you saved me from my stupid decision. If not for you, I would have drowned," he said, sitting in the sand next to her. "What's your name?"

"Arma, my lord," she said.

"Zuko, alone, is fine," he insisted, then repeated her name. "Arma, I've wanted to know our name for a long time. Where do you come from?"

"No where."

The granules began to glow. Zuko watched her carefully. He could feel the intense heat coming from where her hands met the sand, but it stayed contained to her shape in the sand. When she lifted her hand, the sand remained white for a few moments before glossing over. Tentatively, Zuko touched the surface.

"Glass! Arma, where did you learn to turn sand into glass?"

"It's just a trick," she said. "I learned when I was just a kid. Have you known any other fire benders who could fly?

"No, not the way you do. Not without Sozin's comet."

"Then why did you try?"

Zuko shrugged. He had mulled over hundreds of justifications since the event, but he could not fathom what had possessed him to copy her. She lifted the cooled glass out of the sand, turning both smooth sides over and over in her hands. The moon pulled the tides up over their feet. They both hopped up and backed away from the ocean. He felt the sand and salt water soaking through his socks. He glanced over at the shabby fisherman shoes poking out from beneath the singed hems of her dress.

"If you'd like, I have an extra room."

She smiled a little, tucking her peice of glass into a patchwork pocket. Zuko imagined that if it hadn't been so dark he would see color rising in her round cheeks. "Oh?"

"You could wash up and change…"

"I don't think I would fit in well at the royal palace, Zuko," she said, twisting her finger around one of the many holes in her sleeves. " And I don't need anything from you."

He knew another search party would be dispatched if he did not return soon, but he did not want to let Arma vanish again. The wind blew the curling ends of her fiercely auburn hair across her face. She looked out across the ocean, hands clenched behind her back like a soldier. A nerve in her jaw twitched as she tried not to look at him. So Zuko walked up the beach to where the grass peaked out from the sand and then turned back around. Something sparked in his mind and suddenly his entire being grew warm and driven. His heart pumped faster and he spoke with clear understanding.

"Why were you on this beach, Arma?"

"I… Because, I…"

"Why did you go back to the caverns even after we raided them and you were nearly discovered?"

She continued to stammer.

"There is something powerful drawing us together. I have never been very in tune with the spiritual energy, but I'm not oblivious," said Zuko. "I think that even if you don't come with me now and even if you go far away, we will see each other again."

"Then, you have nothing to fear by walking away now."


	4. It's Only Dawn

The seasons changed and Zuko could spare little time with thoughts of Arma as so many other things battled endlessly for his priority. Unrest and dissention emerged in the Earth Kingdom, yet again. Zuko had been looking skyward when the messenger hawk, which summoned him to the Coalition of Nations, arrived. As he packed, Azula loomed in his doorway, turning a nail file between her fingers.

"I hope no one tries to overthrow you while you're gone," she said, breezily.

He snickered.

"You know, it wouldn't be that hard to run the Fire Nation now. I mean, we all just talk to each other and everything works out fine."

"You're right, sometimes it is that easy," he said, passing clothes from his wardrobe to a servant. "But what do you do when its not? What if someone doesn't want to listen?"

She took a single step into the room which allowed the servant to duck past her and out. Her eyes darted around, searching her thoughts. "If you can do it, it can't be that hard. Father wo-"

"Don't think about what he would do," said Zuko.

"Well, then, mother would give into their demands."

She was sharp as ever, but occasionally, she lost control with destructive consequences. One chilly morning, Zuko was summoned from a presentation on a new communication technology to hear terrible screams coming from the courtyard. By the time he rushed around the corner to the turtle-duck pond, Azula had been carried away by the nurses. Ursa was sitting nearby with a face like stone while one of her ladies, a water bender, knelt at her side healing a fresh raw burn on her arm. _Oh, she berates me so_, she had discussed, but he knew it couldn't be entirely his sister's fault. He remembered behaving rashly when his perception of destiny caved in around him. No matter what, he would not let Azula exist in a haze.

"You can't rely on what you think other people would do, because, no matter what, it is your decision," said Zuko, sitting on the couch in the middle of the chamber. "What helps me is thinking about the people who don't care about kingdoms and princes, they are just trying to live their lives."

"I think I know what you mean," she said. She sat down beside him, her eyes were watering. "Once I saw… it was so simple… why didn't I see it before?"

"I-" Zuko's mind whirled. "I don't know."

He was disappointed with his answer. Azula threw her arms around her brother and clenched him as tightly as she could. An unexpected gesture. He doubted she had hugged him like this since she was a baby.

"Come home soon, big brother."

An hour later, she had locked herself in her room and Zuko boarded his flagship, heading for Yu Dao. He called for letter writing accoutrement and drafted a note to his uncle. Suddenly, all the pent up frustration evaporated as he took a deep breath of the salty air. On the second day of the journey, a grumble not unlike thunder broke the relative silence of the ship, followed by two short blasts on a tsungi horn. A familiar figure appeared through the clouds, Appa the airbison. The small figure perched on the beast's mighty head waved energetically as they made their descent.

"How are you, Avatar?" inquired Zuko.

Both Aang and Appa landed effortlessly on deck. Zuko and Aang locked arms in a familiar greeting as several, less graceful, people clambered down from the saddle. One tripped and tumbled across the metal floor. He recovered, arranged his yellow robes and adjusted his spectacles. All of Aang's travelling companions were dressed in Air Nation garb. The only member of this unbelievable group to dismount effortlessly was a young lady with tattoos.

"I've been well. We were clearing rubble from the Eastern Air Temple when the coalition's message arrived. Do you know what the problem is?"

Zuko shook his head.

"You are the Fire Lord," said the bald headed boy. "Wow, you're scar is gnarlier than the tales say. Does it still hurt?"

"Er…?" he said, running a hand automatically across the leathery left side of his face. "Who are you?"

"These are the Air Acolytes. They have devoted themselves the restoration and preservation of traditional Air Nomad culture. This is Jingbo," Aang indicated the boy. "Hei-Won, Yee-Li, and our president, Xing Yee."

The girl with tattoos bowed low with the other members of the club. Zuko returned their gesture and invited them into the cabin for tea. None of the Acolytes were benders and had first joined a fan club dedicated to Aang not expecting at all to be a part of this movement. Before long they were discussing the challenges reconstructing the Eastern Air Temple.

"They say that it is the oldest of the four temples and that the first Nomads brought it to the material world from the spirit world," explained Xing Yee. "We are uncertain whether it can be returned to its original magnificence without help from the spirits."

"Have you made contact with them?" Zuko asked.

Aang thumbed his cup. "The opinion of the spirits is that the temple was a gift to for the humans and it is our own fault for desecrating it."

"I'm sorry."

"That's alright," said Yee-Li. "If we can't replicate the old one, we will create something new in its honor."

By the time they reached the bay, the next day was dawning. Zuko sat on the bridge with the captain watching the lights of the stacked buildings which peaked over the mountains. In the cabins below, the acolytes were slumbering after filling themselves on Zuko's supplies of steamed bao and leechie nuts. The flagship pulled into the narrow docks. Sailors bustled around securing and preparing the ship to be disembarked.

The mayor's daughter, Kori, waited for them on the beach with carriages and ostrich-horses so by the time they rode around the slinking mountains to the sandstone wall which protected the other side of the city Zuko could feel hunger creeping up on him. They were told that Katara had arrived the previous evening with representatives from the water tribe and the Earth King set up camp with a single battalion an hour outside the city. At the gates, a fire bender initiated the rise of the metal grate and an earth bender dropped the wall for them to enter. Residences of the city were just waking as the procession made their way through the streets.

"Look! It's Avatar Aang!"

"Gasp! The Avatar!"

"And Fire Lord Zuko!"

They whispered and pointed, cheered and waved. A group of children ran alongside them up the block, excitedly calling to them. The ostrich horse which Zuko rode was very jittery. It stamped its talons impatiently on the ground, trying not to look at the children. Zuko waved back and they receded to their families with glee on their faces. The buildings in Yu Dao were piled up the mountainside and even one on top of another. Some of them reached eight levels tall. The tallest building with an astonishing twelve floors was the Coalition of Nations building.

All four banners swayed in the breeze above the grand entrance. On the walls were massive paintings of beautiful landscapes. There were no guards, no benders standing around for security as they passed through the entrance hall to a small room with a set of red doors on the other end.

"What is this?" asked Aang.

Kori pulled a golden chain near the doors and instantly something on the other side began to whirl. The acolytes chattered behind Aang like lemurbats. He held his breath as the unmistakable sound of something traveling down could be heard from beyond the metal doors. There was a heavy clunk and the doors slid open.

"They're called elevators," said Kori. "Saturo is still perfecting the engine, so until then its powered by metal benders."

"That's right," said Toph, removing her fingers from the hand shaped indention she made in the side of the metal box. "Okay, everybody, while I'm still young."

They piled onto the elevator and Toph sunk her limbs back into the metal. Shakily they started to rise. Yee-Li gasped and clung to Jingbo's scrawny arm. Zuko marveled at the advancement. This was transportation unlike anything he had ever experienced. He could hear parts moving, but could see nothing, except the ticker on the wall whose value increased the higher they went. At nine, they started to slow, by the time they got to twelve the device quaked and the locked.

"Are we stuck?!" said Yee-Li.

"No," Toph chaffed.

The doors opened. The top floor was a magnificent, domed hall with a U-shaped table in the center. A dozen delegates from around the world found their seats at the table. Aang made his way directly to Katara, they embraced and fell into a conversation with the Chief of the Northern Water Tribe. Sokka waved Zuko over to the two free seats beside him as the Acolytes found their seats on benches around the hall.

"Where is Suki?" Sokka asked, instantly.

The Kyoshi warriors who accompanied him to the continent waiting outside the Coalition Building helping to mind the carriages, but Suki was not among them. Sokka put a hand on the chair directly beside him and Zuko sat down. Kori took the seat on Zuko's other side looking cross.

"I guess she stayed in the capitol," said Zuko.

He wished to give his friend a different answer. Sokka appeared crestfallen, but he recovered quickly. He pounded a gavel sharply on the table until silence fell. All eyes turned to where he stood, scrolls and other tools littered the table in front of him. He closed his eyes briefly and took a deep breath.

"Thank you all for traveling here on such short notice. I know that it is not ideal to have to leave your homes and it's my wish to get us all out of here as soon as possible. First, I give the floor to Kori Morishita."

Sokka gestured theatrically to her as he sat down in his seat. A small wave of applause followed and Kori stood. She lifted her chin, proudly, and began. She described the improvements Yu Dao has made to the city and all the territories surrounding the bay. As she spoke, Sokka distributed scrolls with notes and sketches of new inventions and concepts. Only Earth Kingdom emissaries had any problem with the revolutionary ideas. Every few minutes there was an interruption and the discussions wandered off on an ignorant tangent lead by King Kuie's ambassador, Ping Han, until Sokka brought them back to the tasks at hand. Zuko was elated to hear that the name of the gulf was to be renamed Yue Bay, from the previous unofficial title of Invasion Bay. A bell tolled and servants filed into the hall from the elevator bearing covered platters.

"We will take a break from these discussions to enjoy a meal together. Beneath these covers is a dish prepared by a kitchen of benders and non-benders from all over the world," said Kori, resting a napkin across her lap.

Sokka raised his cup to the table at large. "Let it be food for thought. Aha!"

Several people chuckled, others echoed his toast and drank. Aang snorted with laughter into his cup. Zuko's hunger redoubled as the servants removed the covers from the plates. He dug straight and was not disappointed. Everything was delicious. The table filled with idle chatter as they ate, except for the members of the Earth Kingdom. They took one bite, laid down their utensils, and left the room. They did not utter another word.

"Where are they going?" snapped Kori, the moment the elevator doors closed. "Sokka!"

He looked over at her, quizzically. His cheeks were stuffed with food, but Zuko was certain it would not stop him from answering her. She retched as he mumbled incoherently and food spit from him mouth onto Zuko's plate. He pinched the chewed bits to the corner of his plate with his chopsticks and kept eating.

"They will refuse to accept any of your changes, hoping this will delay… everything," said Hakoda, just before sifting another bite into his mouth.

"They'll come back though, won't they?" said Kori.

Toph burped, pushing her empty plate away from her. "Nope, they're getting into their carriages right now. Those poor ostrich horses."

"I knew we shouldn't have waited," said Kori. She slammed her hands on the table and glared at Sokka. "Now what are we going to do?"

He leaned back, pursing his lips and digging a finger into his teeth. "Now, we are going to tell everyone what they've been doing without hearing them refute every word immediately. They can try and justify themselves after the whole world knows the truth."

"What truth?" asked Katara.

"The Earth Kingdom police force has been excessively brutal when confronting citizens of Fire Nation decent," said Sokka. "Two young men were crushed to death when the police were trying to apprehend them."

A furious clamor erupted from those that remained. Sokka handed Zuko the reports, stamped with the seal of the Earth Kingdom. Each case relayed petty crimes like minor theft and misconduct and multiple witness statements that the alleged criminals jeered and mocked the authorities. From there, the bending officers claimed in each case that major struggles ensued, but the inconsistencies were glaring. After the fourth report, Zuko was so infuriated that he passed them to someone else.

"This cannot continue," said Zuko, measured. "An obvious bias will only affirm the ignorant belief that the Nations should remain separated. The Earth King must take responsibility for the actions of his lawmen and recuperate the loss of life as best he can."

"I agree," said Aang. "We are all human beings. These men are supposed to stand for justice and fairness. Have the men responsible for the boys' deaths apologized to their families?"

"That would mean admitting fault, wouldn't it?" said Hakoda.

They made little progress past this point. They discussed presenting their case to the Earth King himself, not his designated countrymen. The Water Tribe Chiefs had no sympathy concerning Kuie and were against travelling to him when all the other world leaders were expressly summoned. Although Zuko shared their sentiments, he took the other side of the argument. He would much rather curb to Kuei's stubbornness and, at least, have a chance of reconciliation, than pit the entire Unity Council against the Earth Kingdom.

A pair of Kyoshi warriors standing outside a chamber on the fourth floor were a welcome sight to Zuko when the meeting ended and he finally got to stretch his legs. They handed him a small stack of letters. He thanked them and closed himself in the chamber. He deposited his messages temporarily, stripped off his boots and headed directly for the washroom. A stone tub sat on a bed of fresh coals which Zuko lit. He removed his robes and hung them from a rod on the wall. He pulled off his tunic and tossed it to the tile floor. He caught a glimpse of his reflection in the mirror across the room. He tugged the elastic band from his top knot, sifting through nearly shoulder length black tangles.

Tiny, coarse hairs sprouted out in patches along his jaw and chin. Sometimes he imagined himself with a beard, but he would rather be able to wear his hair down. Zuko lowered himself into the warm water. Gathering heat in his core, he breathed out slowly bringing the water all around him to a comfortable boil. After soaking for a moment, he pulled his head under.

He closed his eyes and counted backwards from ten. _Find your own light_. The phrase had crossed his mind several times in the past months. Always followed by images of the great dragons, Ran and Shaw, circling one another high in the air and then Arma joined them, the white flames propelling her bare feet. Water splashed to the floor as Zuko surfaced to breathe.

He needed to get some sleep. Each of the next six days passed just like the first. The crystalline ceiling of the top floor meeting hall grew cramped and stuffy. No one could agree on any plan of action, especially since Ambassador Ping Han had returned. Votes, no matter the task at hand, came out to draws. The Earth King refused to see the Unity Coalition without going through official channels. Aang was the next to leave without a dismissal.

"It doesn't matter! None of this matters," said Aang, interrupting the Ambassador's long winded history of Earth Kingdom peace keepers. "It is what they are doing now that we have a problem with!"

The ambassador bumbled, but Aang's patience wore too thin. He seized his staff from its resting place behind the chair and with a gust of air, blew open the windows to glide away from the Coalition. Katara stood and requested a recess, for the first time everyone around the table agreed.

"I don't blame him for getting worked up," said Katara a while later when she and Zuko walked along the busy street. "We want what's best for everyone. If they forbid their peace keepers from performing certain techniques when apprehending a suspect, then no one would get hurt."

"I'm not so sure that is the best option. Real criminals are not going to restrict themselves, doing so to the police will only turn the tables on them," said Zuko. "I believe the Earth Kingdom should employ a variety of benders to patrol the city. That way if the criminal is a fire bender, then a fire bending officers can apprehend them. The risks are greatly reduced."

"The Earth Kingdom military does not accept anyone other than Earth Nation citizens as part of tradition," she said, mimicking Ping Han's honking sort of voice.

"It was the same in the Fire Nation. I had no idea that the Earth Kingdom would have such a hard time moving forward."

"That's the whole problem. They don't want to move forward. They expect things to go back to the way they were before," she huffed and kicked a loose stone. "So, Zuko, how are things for you?"

It was an odd question to which he was unsure how to respond. He shrugged.

"Aren't there any girls in your life?"

"No," he said, a little too quickly and Katara's lips curled. "I don't. Why do you care?"

"Come on, Zuko. You know why I care. You and Mai were together for a long time. It isn't easy to have someone just drop out of your life like that."

He stopped. It had been difficult at first, but finding his mother had helped. Sometimes he felt an emptiness, a desire for closeness and to feel the Mai's touch on his face. He could not be sure when it changed, but he did not long for Mai. He wished he could apologize for whatever inattentiveness caused her to leave, but he did not want her to return. The empty space she had left reached out for someone new.

"I moved on," he said.

"Of course, but-"

"There are more important things going on. I am really not concerned with getting another girlfriend," said Zuko, sharply.

Katara blinked and he instantly felt bad for snapping at her. He sighed. "I'm sorry, it has been a really tough few months and everything with Azula…"

"What's wrong with Azula?"

"She is having a tough time adjusting and my mother doesn't really know what else to do to help her," he explained. "To tell the truth, I am running out of ideas as well. You saw her at my birthday, but sometimes she's so good and it's like she's happy…"

"As long as you're there to support here, I'm sure she'll find b-"

Suddenly, she doubled over with a groan. He put an arm around her to keep her steady. His brow furrowed asking her what was wrong. She tried to wave his concerns away and straighten her back. But the nauseating pain engulfed her again. Her knees quaked as she clenched one hand over her stomach and the other on Zuko's arm. He looked around uncertainly as Katara bit back another howl. People were starting to gawk.

"What should we do?"

"I'm f-fine," she insisted. Her face grew increasingly red. "I'll be… ooooohhh. Where's Aang?"

Normally he would think very carefully before going against Katara's wishes, but, as the number of on-lookers expanded, Zuko scooped Katara easily into his arms. She did not struggle. Her arms found their way around his neck as he bounded back for the Coalition building. By some miracle, Sokka was in the entrance hall chatting ardently with Kori. When Zuko burst inside, Sokka too jumped into action.

"Katara! What's wrong?" asked Sokka, frantically. "Is she hurt?"

"I don't know," said Zuko. Katara buried her head in his shoulder, groaning continuously. He shouted for someone to direct him to a room.

They scurried. Finally, Zuko lowered Katara to the ground on the inside of her third floor suite. Sokka bombarded her with questions as she dragged her feet on the way to the bed, only responding to him when he poured her a glass of water. Unfortunately, he interpreted this as a symptom. He grabbed her shoulders and turned her to face him.

"Katara, can you HEAR me?" he roared in her face.

"Yes-!" she retorted, spilling water down her front.

She took several gulps of water. The color melted from her face. Her eyes widened and she charged across the suite to the washroom. Sokka followed right behind her. Zuko waited in the doorway of the suite, which looked nearly identical to his one floor above. The sickening splash of vomit, followed by Katara coughing, could be heard from the wash room.

"Egh!" said Sokka.

"GET OUT!"

Sokka emerged from the washroom looking panicked, but seeing Zuko he recovered. "Kori's calling the doctor. We should go and find Aang."


	5. An Anticipated Visitor

The first place Zuko suggested they check were the pens outside the city where their animals were kept. They could hear the whooshing sound of an air scooter as they came around the corner. Aang was motoring around the corral hoisting a carrot above the snapping beaks and snouts of a variety of eager animals. Sokka clapped Zuko on the back.

"I guess, he's never really lost with you around, huh?"

While Sokka chuckled at his own joke, Zuko approached the corral. He shot the carrot out of the air with a blast of fire. It fell into the dirt as a blackened crisp, but the beasts still charged it. Aang released his scooter and landed on the other side of the fence near them. He lowered his head at Zuko's frigid expression.

"I'm sorry that I left like that," said Aang. "But I flew over to the Earth Kingdom base camp. Kuei isn't there."

"What?!" Zuko snapped.

"Yeah, its the soldiers and the Ambassadors. I doubt Kuei has any idea what's going on."

His frustration boiled and he huffed so deeply that steam escaped his nostrils. With clenched fists, Zuko wanted to grab one of the ostrich horses and start his journey to Ba Sing Sei immediately. The people who Kuei granted power knew precisely how to take advantage of him and Zuko was tired of the King's ignorance. A thought surfaced, what if the Earth King in Fire Lord Sozin's time was this ignorant, but he suppressed it just as quickly. Sokka appeared next to him.

"Katara's sick. She puked all over the bathroom," he said.

Aang's face fell in surprise. "Is she okay?"

"She started feeling ill in the street, kind of groaning and holding her stomach," said Zuko.

"Groaning how?" he continued to inquire.

Zuko scoffed. "What do you m-"

"It was sorta UUUUuuuuuuhhhhhhggggghhhhaaauugh."

Aang recreated Sokka's pitiful impression of pain, holding his own stomach for extra effect. Sokka tried once again. Zuko considered knocking their heads together. It had taken them nearly an hour to find him. Katara could still be getting worse. All the while her brother and husband were compared gurgles and moans.

"She kept insisting that she was fine," said Zuko, speaking over them. "But I'm not so sure. We should probably get back."

"You're right," said Aang. He ran into one of the stables and emerged with his staff. "I'll meet you guys back in the city."

"It must be nice," said Zuko, imagining himself flying off after the Avatar. "To just take off like that."

"Yeah... its not the same in a war balloon. But if we put a motor on a glider..."

"You want to put a motor on everything, Sokka. Have you heard of the Fu brother's and their new radio?"

He threw his hands in the air. "Yes! Its magnificent! Think about the long range possibilities. Someone could be thousands of miles away but over the radio… its like hearing them in your head."

"I can't believe how fast it is. Normally whatever messages I would get from home are three days behind being created. Radio is instant."

"That is true," said Sokka.

They walked quietly for a while. He let his thoughts trail around wondering when his uncle would be arriving. He had received the letter from him the first night he arrived in Yu Dao. Iroh reported that he had left the Upper Ring and would be in the city within a week. He had not managed to make it away from Ba Sing Se for Zuko's last birthday, but had sent him a jeweled tea set and a selected variety of tea leaves. His stomach always churned when he was expecting a visit from Iroh and this time Zuko had a lot to talk with him about. Zuko started to noticed Sokka shuffling his feet.

"Is something wrong with your shoes?"

"No," said Sokka. "It's Suki! I think something is wrong with us. She barely writes me anymore and every time I invite her to visit me she tells me that the time isn't right. I understand that the Kyoshi warriors have important duties to the Fire Nation now, but she didn't even make herself a part of your guard to come and see me."

"I… I can't speak for her, Sokka. But I know that she is always so happy to see you. She can be difficult about her duties and isn't ready to give up her work yet… I guess."

"I don't want her to give up anything! I only asked her to move once. I just... don't think she likes me as much as she used to," he said.

Sokka froze staring out at the rocky horizon with glassy eyes. He was wearing the expression which showed he had said something aloud that he'd been thinking for a while. Admittedly, Zuko was never good at helping people with their problems but for some reason when he joined the Avatar's group that changed. Growing up, everyone he loved kept to themselves except when arguing or chiding one another. Aang and his friends were so honest and open about their feelings that Zuko began to understand what real relationships were supposed to be like. He couldn't imagine Suki with anyone other than Sokka. The first time Zuko had met her it was in the middle of Sokka's plan to rescue her from Boiling Rock and her fondness for him had never wavered.

"That's crazy," Zuko insisted.

"Does she ever talk to guys in the Capitol?"

"Not really, just other military officials about security stuff."

He drew a deep breath and carried on walking. "You're probably right. It's crazy for her not to still be totally in love with me…, but I would just want her to be honest, you know?"

"Yeah, I do."

When they made it back to the Coalition hall an unfamiliar carriage pulled away. Kori was standing in the center of the entrance hall with her hands on her hips. She ordered them to close doors behind them. Sokka asked who it was leaving. She shook her head looking proud and excited.

"You won't believe who showed up! The Dragon of the West, General Iroh!"

"I'm sorry, Kori, I should have told I was expecting my uncle," said Zuko.

"No, it's fine."

"Iroh is a pretty swell guy," said Sokka, brightly. "Zuko would still be a terrible person if it weren't for him."

Zuko crossed his arms. "Well put, Sokka," he said, sarcastically.

"I've always wanted to meet the Liberator of Ba Sing Se. He is a peculiar old man and he smells like my grandma's tea parlour," she said, touching Sokka's shoulder as the young men drew closer.

"Yeah, he's great," Sokka said moving quickly away towards the lift. "I better go up with Zuko to check on Katara."

"Right," she said, shortly. "Of course."

Sokka pulled the lever and tapped his foot as the clanks began behind the red doors. She stood there for a moment. Sokka looked wildly around the room, feigning interest in anything to keep his eyes off Kori. She clicked her tongue loudly, turned heel and stomped out of the building. The slam of the front door was masked by the arrival of the elevator. The metal bender waved them inside.

"What?!" snapped Sokka.

"I didn't say anything," defended Zuko.

"But you've got that face where your scarred eye gets all wide! Its nothing, she told me she liked me a few days ago," he told his feet as the doors clanged shut.

"Really?! What did you say?"

"What do you think I said? I told her I love Suki because I do. I want to marry her and spend the rest of my life with only her. To which Kori responds, I said the same about Sneers. Ugh."

"Your floor, sir," said the lift operator flatly.

"Come spend the summer with her in the Fire Nation. The royal family tours the entire kingdom,," said Zuko.

"You mean it?"

"Of course."

"Okay, good night," interrupted the operator. He closed the gates and left Zuko standing in the corridor of the fourth floor.

The Kyoshi warriors started to rise from their seats outside Zuko's door as he approached. Zuko shook his head and told them not to bother. He entered his chamber briskly to the luxurious aromas of fresh flower tea. His uncle's round face grinned around at him from the sofa. He got to his feet and they embraced.

"Uncle," said Zuko. "I'm so glad to see you."

"It has been too long, Zuko. Sit with me, I have just made a most delightful tea."

He dived into the tales of the Jasmine Dragon. Iroh's business had expanded into three of the buildings next to him. They had even permitted him to set up little patio tables in the street around the fountain. With a staff of nearly twenty, Iroh was very proud of his endeavor.

"A new legacy," he chortled.

"Does the Earth King visit your shop?"

"Three times a week and he is the only one I sell tea bags too. Big spender."

Zuko took a sip. He did not usually drink teas. Iroh turned teas into an art and after drinking his brews for so long everything else just tasted like hot leaf juice. He rotated the warm glass in his hand. "Uncle, have you heard what's going on in these territories?"

"Ba Sing Se will always be cloaked in secrets. From what I can piece together through the whispers, it is some kind of citizen uprising."

"The Earth Kingdom is sending prejudiced soldiers to police these lands and they are brutal to benders of other nationalities, particularly Fire Benders. Two men barely older than I were beaten to death for evading interrogation. What does that even mean?" Iroh let out a thoughtful hum, nodding slowly. "It is hard to be sure. If you are here why isn't King Kuei?"

"We believe he hasn't even been filled in on the situation. His emmissaries waste endless hours bickering with the United Coalition about everything. Aang only found out a few hours ago that the King isn't anywhere near Yu Dao."

"I see," said Iroh. "I would be honored to host such an important deliberation in my tea shop, after all you are my Fire Lord."

"Thank you, Uncle, I always try my hardest to do what's right," said Zuko.

"Yes and I see that you have also started to make changes to the royal wardrobe. Is this a lotus flower?"

Zuko's hand flew instantly to his lapel of his robes. Where there had previously been a flame embroidered in gold and red, there was now three petals of a white lotus etched in gold. He had found the design in the extensive pages of his dresser's work books. The criticism had been instant, but to have his uncle's presence with him evermore was very important.

"It is an excellent symbol for peace, Zuko," said his uncle, squeezing his shoulder fondly. "How is your sister?"

"She's making every effort she can. She seems to see that the world she thought she knew was just a delusion our father created, but she hasn't been able to accept it," said Zuko, propping his chin with his arm on his knee. "Then, sometimes she gets really scared and violent."

"Yes, I did hear that she tried to attack Earth benders at your last birthday celebration."

"She was convinced they were Dai Lee agents there to kill her," he told him.

"Interesting," said Iroh. "It seems that her fear and guilt has kept her body from accepting that she no longer needs to fight. Her chi will be out of balance."

"She has been forgiven… but I don't know if she'll ever be forgive herself."

"As you know, that is the hardest part."

Zuko placed his empty cup on the table, only to have Iroh pour him another steaming serving. He remembered all the mistakes, all the stupid things he had done to the people he now called friends. Even when they allowed him to join them, Zuko remained most critical on himself, feeling that he probably hadn't deserved their faith. Even after he became Fire Lord, he had not fully pardoned himself. He wanted Azula to find peace, more than anything.

But he imagined the struggle if he hadn't had Uncle Iroh at his side. Azula needed all the support she could and where was Zuko, hundreds of miles across the ocean trying to solve other peoples problems. He pinched the bridge of his nose to suppress his self-deprecating thoughts. He needed to think about Azula.

"Do you think that her chi could be the reason why she's only be able to bend lightning?" Zuko asked.

Iroh nodded. "If her fire is gone than she may have a chi path blocked entirely and it is a very special kind of person who can bend the chi within their own body. To even begin you must find harmony within yourself."

"Can you bend the chi in other people?"

"You should not get hopeful, Zuko. I have never head of such a person and truly spectacular Chi bending is a very rare ability that comes along once every few generations and Azula will have to commit herself to the process."

"Process?"

"To find balance in one self you must accept and forgive your darkest self and the Fire Sages refuse to reveal what it feels like to have your chi manipulated."

"Do you think it would hurt?"

"I imagine that it would be very hot, but if you were already at peace, you may be able to stay cool," said Iroh.

After a short discussion about chi paths and several pools, called chakras, Zuko could contain himself no longer. Ever since they began talking, she paced back and forth on his mind. Finally, he found a moment to slip her in.

"I met a fire bender who can turn sand into glass and fly. She is a mystery, but I have been drawn to where she was three times already. Whenever I am near her I feel the same spiritual energy that I feel whenever Aang goes into the Avatar state."

"I'm sure its not the exact same feeling," said Iroh, prodding Zuko in the ribs with his elbow. "Is she pretty?"

"I think she is beautiful," said Zuko. The words fell out before he could stop them and his face melted. "But that isn't the point. I also have visions... dreams where she is flying through the mountains with Ran and Shaw. What do you think that means?"

"I have never heard of anyone flying without the heightened power of the comet and if her spiritual energy is as high as you say than anything is possible," he said, scratching his beard. "Where did you meet this girl? Does she have a name?"

He relayed the story to Uncle Iroh, and, although he called Zuko foolish for walking away from her the last time, they stayed up late into the night conversating. After many cups of tea and several trips to the bathroom, Zuko fell asleep on the sofa trying to determine the best way to find Arma. His uncle's snores from the bed a few feet away carried him off into dreamless rest.


	6. Who Will Vouche for You?

The very next day, Zuko was called to the meeting room early. Aang and Katara were standing hand in hand with big grins on their faces, but they wouldn't reveal their good news to only him. They waited for the lift to rise twice more, bringing Toph, Sokka and Hakoda to the room.

"Okay, we are all here now will you spit it out already!" said Toph with a threatening stomp.

"Yes, we will, so yesterday I got sick in the street. Zuko had to help me inside, even though I knew there was nothing wrong," said Katara. "I didn't have a good enough excuse for why I would suddenly get sick to my stomach."

"It's because she hadn't even told me yet," said Aang, proudly.

He held Katara's hand in both of his and brought it to his lips, looking upon her with admiration. She touched her forehead to his shoulder. Sokka sighed loudly and rolled his hands for them to continue.

"I'm pregnant," Katara burst out.

Sokka yelled. "No way! Oh my god, Katara! Aang!"

Sokka and Hakoda went in for the hugs first. Their father's eyes were filled with tears as he looked down at his little girl and kissed her forehead. "I am so happy for you both. You will make wonderful parents."

"Congratulations, you guys," said Zuko. "It seems you won't be the last air bender after all."

"Yeah, way to go, Twinkle toes," said Toph, giving Aang an affectionate punch in the shoulder.

"We won't be telling anyone else for a few more weeks just to make sure that the baby is healthy," said Katara. "But Dad, if you could tell Gran-Gran when you go back home."

"I would be honored, Katara," said Hakoda with a bow. "I'm going to be a Gramp-gramp."

They all laughed as Hakoda wandered dreamily off to his seat. The lift could be heard rising through the shaft in the wall. Over the next ten minutes the rest of the Coalition arrived, until only Kori was missing. The Earth emissaries chatted amongst one another and then Ping Han, slammed his fist on the table.

"Councilman Sokka, you must call the meeting to order," he demanded. "I would not expect to be waited for in my tardiness. It is favoritism to wait for the councilwoman."

Just then the metal doors were blown out of the lift and two men wrapped in metal cords floated through the air, followed by Kori, who hoisted them. Her eyes were slanted with fury as she let the two men drop like ragdolls onto the middle of the Coalition table. She, then, jumped onto the table with them. She kicked one of them onto their side so everyone could see the familiar insignia on their uniforms.

"Those are Earth Kingdom Soldiers! What do you think you are doing?!" said Ping Han, protestingly.

"Do you really want to claim and defend this scum before you've even heard what they've done?"

"We are proud of the men who risk their lives to protect our kingdom's laws and traditions. Whatever they have done we shall support them!"

His face turned red and spit flew from his teeth as he choked his words out to Kori who stood over him. They stared at each other for an intense moment. Zuko saw the metal around her captives buzzing as Kori measured her temper with the Ambassador. Finally, she turned to address the rest of the Coalition.

"Then, maybe you all would like to hear what these men have done! Last night when I was walking through the back streets of my beloved city, I saw a group of children practicing their fire bending. They were just playing when these two upstanding enforcers of justice come around the corner and start badgering the boys in the group about a theft that had happened on the other side of town. I watched a grown man pick up a boy no older than eight by the scruff of his shirt and hold him against a wall. They all ran and this one-" She rolled the other officer over with a flip of her wrist. "Chased after them. The other little boy bent at his capturer and got away. One of his friends was not so lucky. They cornered her in an alley and egged her to fight back. When she tried, she barely made a puff of smoke, but the officers attacked. They lifted two pillars from the ground to pin the little girl to the wall. But that's not what happened."

She lifted one of the men to their knees and removed his gag. "Tell them what you did," she ordered him.

"The stone hit her too hard, we knew it would," blubbered the man. "We killed her, crushed her chest between our stones and the wall. He was just a little girl."

"And why did you choose to interrogate the group?" said Kori over the clamor of the coalition. "Tell them the description of your suspect and why you decided it could be that child?!"

"We were looking for a teenager short black hair and his girlfriend that had burglarized a business uptown. The witnesses didn't say the kid could bend at all," said the officer, looking frightenedly at the Earth Kingdom emissaries. They all appeared to have been slapped across the face.

"Then why did you approach those kids?" repeated Aang.

The man shuffled his knees around to face the Avatar. His eyes filled with tears. Kori raised the other one to the same position to face the other side of the table and removed his gag. His head instantly fell so his curly hair hid his face.

"Because she was Fire Nation and she doesn't belong in our kingdom!" he said to the silence.

Everyone shouted out at once, arguing without hearing the others words. Zuko stood but did not speak he looked to Kori who had pulled out a folder but was unable to regain order. Sokka was trying to use the gavel to no avail. Zuko used his chair to boost him onto the table, where he fired an arch of orange flames into the glass dome. Everyones faces glowed in the light and then stared at Zuko.

"Councilwoman Morishita, you were saying," said Zuko, bowing his head for her to continue.

She nodded, thankfully, as Zuko took his seat. "The girl's name was Sam Yagumi. Her father was a non-bender from the Fire Nation. Her ancestors had not been benders for two generations, and her mother was a non-bender from a non-bending family. This morning, when I told them what happened to their daughter, do you know what they told me? They told me that they had never seen their child bend before! She had probably only just discovered when you walked up to them on that street."

The first soldier collapsed. The second raised his head with wide eyes.

"This is an isolated incident. These soldiers are both stripped of all authority and relieved of his duties," said Ambassador Ping Han, after hissing with his emissaries. "Just as any others who may be found guilty. We will escort them to the king immediately."

"You will not," spoke a thousand voices from Aang's lips. "You haven't told the Earth King anything! He is not even with you on this trip! We will no longer speak to you for your word means nothing to us."

As the winds started to lift him off the ground, Katara put her hand in his and his eyes flickered back to normal. He thanked her. Zuko spoke next, "My uncle Iroh owns a tea shop in the upper ring of Ba Sing Se, he will arrange a meeting between us and King Kuei without interference."

A messenger hawk slipped in through an open window and landed on a perch next to a servant. On his little chest harness was the fire nation insignia and he held his foot out for the servant to remove the note. Zuko excused himself and crossed around to take the note. As he unrolled it, Katara asked Kori to take her prisoners back to their cells and Toph started to speak.

He started to read.

_An urgent message for Fire Lord Zuko on the 25nd Day of Spring._ _Zuko, it's Suki. Azula has vanished!_ _Regent Lady Ursa has rallied search parties all over the Fire Nation, but I think that will only send Azula further into hiding._ _I think you need to come back._

He folded the paper into his palm and returned to his seat. Kori passed the soldiers off to other metalbenders waiting in the lift, then returned to her seat too. She leaned over and thanked him for getting everyone's attention, before shooting Sokka a contemptuous look. Sokka was looking at Toph and therefore did not catch it. Zuko struggled to listen to Toph's words. He needed to find a way to dismiss himself, but he struggled to focus.

"What do you think, Fire Lord Zuko," asked Hakoda.

"I-I'm sorry, Cheif Hakoda, I just received some distracting news from home," said Zuko, indicating the folded note. "I don't really know what you are asking."

"Toph believes her metal benders should make up a new police force for Yu Dao," he said.

"Do you have enough manpower to do that?"

Toph shrugged. "I'm a great teacher, and apparently any block head can pick up metal bending."

"I think it's a great idea," said Sokka. "Kori and Toph can help write up the proposal and we sign it, take it to King Kuei, he signs it and we'll have Police Chief Toph Beifong."

Zuko scratched his name and a promise on a sheaf of parchment. "I leave my solemn word to honor and protect whatever you write, but I have to get back to the Fire Nation. Kori, you share my heritage and will therefore go in my place to Ba Sing Se."

"A-are you sure?" said Kori.

"Yes, is there any reason I should doubt your capabilities?" he said to which she shook her head vigorously. Then, Zuko addressed Aang. "This situation is not easy. If you need me, I will stay."

"No," said Aang. "Your family is the most important thing. Kori can represent the Fire Nation, but send your uncle over before you leave. He can help us arrange a meeting with King Kuei."

The emissaries from the Earth Kingdom started to bumble again but fell silent with a narrow look from Katara. Zuko presented the Coalition with a respectful bow, which they all returned. He stepped away from the table only to have Sokka shake his hand and accompany him to the lift. He handed him two folded letters. The first one, he said was to the captain of his fleet. Any ship of Zuko's choosing would depart from the port on his orders as they could carry him to the Capitol in a number of hours.

"The other one is to Suki," he said. "Could you just let her know that I missed her?"

"I will," said Zuko. "And I will have my mother send you the invitation for this summer. She's planning on us visiting upwards of 50 different islands."

He arrived on the fourth floor not too long after. He reported his news to the Kyoshi warriors and to his uncle. They embraced and promised that their time apart would be more brief than the last. Then, Iroh took the lift up to the meeting room, while Zuko waited on the landing for its return. Someone had called his carriage around and before too long, he was setting off out of Yue Bay in a relatively small, motor-powered boat. He tucked Sokka's note to Suki into his pocket. He enjoyed the saltwater on his face as they zipped over the waves at an unbelievable speed. After a moment though, they novelty of their speed wore off and he felt his head swimming.

One of three sailors who could fit with Zuko on deck explained that it didn't glide through the water, but skipped across the top like a rock on a river. He informed Zuko that he should take long deep breaths if he started to feel ill. No sooner had he said so, then Zuko's eyes rolled and he vomited over the side. He wiped his lip on the edge of his sleeve and ducked his head between his knees. The motion of the boat was not greatly improved by receding to the hull, but Zuko laid flat on the little wooden bench with a pillow pressed to his face.

Having spent the greater part of four years on a ship, Zuko was surprised to be so unsettled. But Sokka's boat never found a rhythm. It would bump and glide and just when he thought his body had adjusted, the nose of the ship would lurch and a new wave of queasiness swept over him. Thankfully, it did not feel like too long before their speeds reduced and someone put an arm on his shoulder.

"Fire Lord Zuko," said the sun-tanned sailor. "Your border guards request special permission before allowing us to cross through into your territories."

He couldn't believe it. They already reached the first watch tower on the outermost island. A warship which patrolled the coast had pulled up beside them, dwarfing the smaller ship by comparison. The general's looking down from the battleship at the Water Tribe vessel had their arms crossed aggressively, but upon seeing Zuko look up, they fell to their knees in reverence.

"Stand," he said. "Send me down a ladder, then go prepare your cabin to brief me on the search for Princess Azula."

The captain of the warship look stunned, but he and his two comrades clambered back across the plank to their own ship. Zuko turned to Sokka's captain and thanked him for his services. The man gave him a traditional Water Tribe salute, which Zuko just as Sokka had instructed. The entire staff of the warship scurried around as he marched through the corridors towards the bridge. The captain was waiting for him with maps and miniatures spread hastily across his table, before beginning he insisted that Zuko take into accordance, that they were a border patrol vessel and had not been enlisted in the search for the princess.

"She disappeared from the palace four days ago. Admiral Yan has every ship in your fleet, save three, combing the beaches. Captain Suki is leading land parties on Regent Lady Ursa's orders. The last time Azula was spotted it was here."

The captain indicated a small island near the edge of the map. He explained to his crew, what Zuko already knew. It was the last inhabited island before the Wilds. The Wilds were what the Fire Nation called the endless horizon of tall, jagged stone bursting from the ocean floor. No ships could navigate through the treacherous waters and no explorers had managed to travel through to discover the other side. Fire Sages insisted that the wilds were the last place in their world where spirits ruled supreme.

He worried for Azula if she had dared trek into the stone labyrinths. The more he considered it, the more certain he was that he would find her there. If that was the case, no time could be wasted. He ordered that an airship be summoned to take him to the wilds. Within an hour, a giant maroon balloon appeared overhead. They lowered a ladder.

Admiral Yan waited for Zuko in the control room of the air ship. "We have no intelligence that would suggest Princess Azula managed to find a way into the rocky wilds. We believe that she came back around and is hiding on Crescent Island. Perhaps, you would like to check there first."

"That is a waste of time. Whatever has lead you to that conclusion was done intentionally by Azula to throw you off her scent."

"But… her ladyship said there would be no reason to the princess's actions, that she would be scattered and easy to track." Zuko rubbed his thumb on his temples to keep a headache at bay. "Admiral, you will take this balloon into the wilds and drop me there. Then, you will return to the capitol and report to my mother what you have done. Also, present this note to Captain Suki, inform them both that Councilman Sokka will be joining us this summer."

"Yes, Fire Lord," said Yan, clipping his heels together.


	7. Abandoned

The pillars of stone reached up into the clouds. Some of them reached higher than the airships had ever managed to see. Zuko stood in the belly of the airship watching the mountains appear through the fog. Unlike the short, choppy mountains formed by the volcanoes of the Fire Nation, the wilds were tall, tree -like stone plateaus jutting out at random from the deep ocean floor. Some connected like ethereal steps to the heavens, while others stood alone like statues through the low hanging clouds. Admiral Yan's voice could be heard through the speakers.

"This is as low as we can bring you, my lord," he said. The hatch slid open and Zuko had a clear, twenty foot drop to the nearest mountain side.

"Safe travels."

Zuko secured the strap of a provisions bag and braced himself for a difficult landing. He jumped from the airship, just as it began to rise. He met the stone with shoulder. Instead of tucking and rolling like he planned, Zuko slid across the jagged rocks, tearing his clothes and cutting his skin. He placed his left hand over the wound feeling the heat it released. He wiped the blood off the plain grey trousers he had changed into on the airship. Ripping off a piece of his sleeve he fashioned a tight bandage around the raw skin.

He looked around expecting to see the ship growing smaller but now that he was on the ground all he could see behind him was fog, however, when he looked off towards the wilds he could see everything. He watched in amazement, as the stones merged together creating a long flat plain, with a column of stone sticking above the rest every once in a while. Winds whipped through Zuko's loose hair around his face. He followed the wind's way until it died.

"Azula!" he called out to the lifeless horizon. "Azula, where are you?!"

He wandered around calling her name, when suddenly he heard a sound like the tingling of a bell pass behind him. _Find your own light._Zuko turned around with his fists suspended in front of him. There was nothing. He started off where he thought it may have came from. After a while longer, he heard the bell again. A cool sensation passed so near to him that it brushed against his elbow._Find it, Zuko._ He punched, sending a blast of fire dancing across the ground until it burned itself out. There was nothing remaining.

Perhaps he should have collected a better understanding of how the spirits would protect their land. He jerked around, anxiously. An itching sensation on the back of his neck made him imagine invisible spirits prodding and jabbing him until he went mad or threw himself into one of the occasional crevasses he spotted along the way.

"Azula, please, if you are out here… if you can hear me, I'm here. I came home, just like you wanted, please," he begged, once he was certain the sun would not set in the wilds. "Come on, this is not a game. This place isn't safe."

"Why do you say that?"

Zuko turned so quickly that his bag came around and knocked him in the leg. Perched on a nearby column was Arma. His jaw dropped to see her. She jumped down, landing gently, and walked over until there were several yards between them. She looked different. Her hair was longer and red at the curled ends. She was dressed in a delicate white gown that flowed around her as if tossed around by the wind.

"Arma," he breathed.

"Zuko, you look surprised to see me," she said.

"I- I am," said Zuko.

"I've had visions of this place… dreams of meeting you here," said Arma. "But... you've lost something."

"My sister ran away when I was away from the Fire Nation. Her name is Azula. She has long black hair like mine. If you had seen her, she would only be able to bend lightning."

She watched him speak, then smiled. "Do you know where you are, Fire Lord?"

He looked around. Nothing about the scenery had changed in miles. Honestly, he could be anywhere. He could have died and not realized it. It would surely be the best explanation for Arma's sudden appearance. Finally, arriving at no logical conclusion, he shook his head.

"You're in the spirit world, no one can bend here"

"What? How?" said Zuko, knowing that entering the spirit world was something you had to practice for years before achieving. He recalled dragging Aang's spiritless body through the frozen tundra. "Where's my body?"

"Here in the wilds, the veil that separates our two worlds is thin and it flits back and forth so abruptly that the spirit and the body remain intact," she explained. "It also gives me the power over my dress, if you were wondering."

He had been, but there were more important things. "Is Azula here?"

"I don't know, but I should be able to sense her if she is getting nearer," she said, with a twinkle in her eye.

As she stepped closer he could see that her gown seemed emit a strange light and intense heat. He asked her how she had found him and she placed her palm on the center of his chest. He felt energy collecting under her touch, a sensation that he had only ever felt when gifted the knowledge of fire bending from the dragons. When she took her hand away he felt the energy creep back through his limbs.

"Chi bending?" he said.

She laughed a little and nodded. "All bending is chi bending."

"How did you learn?"

Before starting her tale, she turned them around and started walking across the barren lands, letting the fog roll in behind them. He arranged his bag on his shoulder and followed her closely. She started her story with a baby crying out to the silence in the middle of the jungle, a baby abandoned by a family with too many children to care for. Arma was unwanted as an infant, left to die out of sight and out of mind of her real family.

"An island spirit named Taveuni was passing by when she heard my cries. Against the pleas of her companions she picked me up and saved me from the grave. She cared for me and loved me more than any mother could love their child. And when she found out I was a fire bender, she exposed me to everything to help me learn," she said.

She paused for a moment and listened. "Call to your sister," she murmured, suddenly.

"Azula?" he shouted.

The sound echoed and he looked back at Arma. Her gown had vanished, leaving only her rags. They had returned from the spirit world. The fog that had followed them turned the dim daylight to midnight black. Night had fallen in a matter of seconds. Arma snapped and produced a pure, white flame at the pinch of her fingers. It cast light all around until Zuko could see they had returned to the ocean side. A small island filled with trees could be seen in the water not too far from them. He knew immediately that they would find her there.

"How do we get down there?"

"How do you think?"

Arma produced the swirling cones and rose from the ground. Every movement she made sent her off one way or another. Zuko watched her dancing through the night sky, but he did not dare try as boldly as he had the first time. He held his hand up in front of him and tried to mimic her cone. He could only create plume after plume of orange and red, which dissipated after a few moments. She landed beside him and touched his hands. Her palms were spectacularly cool. She rolled her hands around his fists one at a time. She looked up at him. Her face only inches from his. From her skin he could smell an intoxicating aroma he could not define.

"Find the light inside you," said Arma, causing Zuko to perk up, listening intently. "It's your energy, everything you use to bend, collect it within yourself and then, release it..."

She lifted herself into the air again and repeated her words to Zuko, He closed his eyes, trying to contain his energy, to bend it to his will. The more he tried the more frustrated he grew. Why had he never bothered to practice? Arma seemed so sure he would be able to do it, what if he failed? The fall from these mountains would be much farther. The chances that she would be able to save him again were slim. He had thought often about this skill. Why had he never bothered to practice?

"Wonderful, Zuko," said Arma, cheerily.

He opened his eyes to look down and find his feet dangling hundreds of yards above the ocean waves. He jerked in the air, gasping as he landed back on the cliffs. She waved her head for him to follow and she headed straight to the island. He took a deep breath. _Find your own light_, he repeated to himself and ducked his head. To his surprise, he followed her easily. He looked down at his hands to see that swirling around his wrists were the same cones of fire as Arma, except in brilliant oranges and crimson. Arma made a loop and landed easily on the sands. She tried to give Zuko direction, but he could not hear. He collided with her squarely and they were cast back into the plant life.

His face grew red, but as he pushed himself up, she was laughing. He realised, just as she moved, that he wanted to kiss her, He sat back in the sand and watched her stand, dusting herself off. She assumed a squat stance of a meditating firebender, one foot on the ground while the other folded up by her hip. The sages did not even practice such methods anymore, but Zuko remembered illustrations of the Sun Warriors balancing on the rims of active volcanoes. Slowly, she rotated her hands out in front of her. After a moment, of breathless waiting Zuko watched her straighten up.

"Someone is here," she said, staring out into the shadows. "She's very tense. What happened to her?"

"I will tell you everything, but maybe you should stay here," said Zuko, creating a guiding light. "My sister is not very fond of strangers."

She nodded understandingly.

"Wait for my signal, okay?"

She nodded and he trudged off into the trees.

"Azula," he whispered. "Azula? Are you out there? It's just me."

Something darted in the shadows. He followed the movement, until he was certain it was a coat tail that continued to whip out of sight. Azula was quicker than him, there was no questioning that. He caught his stride until he was walking again. The shuffling in front of him slowed as well. So he stopped.

"I'm not chasing you, Azula," he said. "We don't do that anymore."

A pair of golden eyes peaked out from between the branches, then Azula stood. Her long hair was tangled and tied clumsily into a tail. Her lip was cut and her eye was bruised. They stood several feet from each other. He made to move towards her but she flinched, flighty as a bird, so he froze.

"Are you okay?"

"Did she tell you what I did?"

It had not occurred to him. It hadn't mattered why Azula had run. All his thoughts were for her safe return, but now it fell into his stmoach like a stone. She and Ursa fought again. She looked more wounded than ever. He shook his head slowly and her head fell.

"I flicked a mouse on the back of the head to feed it to a snake. She said that a proper lady respects life and does not interfere with nature's plans," said Azula. "So I fried the snake and told her that the plan was restored. The mouse would live and the snake would not eat. She told me my heart was cruel and that I could never be normal."

"No," he said. "That's not true."

He pulled his sister into his shoulder and felt her start to quake. Azula was crying. He brushed his fingers through her hair as best he could and patted her comfortingly. His concern for her outweighed the contempt he felt towards Ursa. When he found their mother, when she returned to their lives, he would never imagined this to be the situation. Her words were hurtful. His mother was not perfect. She had been just as affected by Ozai's prejudices as his children, but how could she not see that Azula needed her full support.

"You are a good person, Azula," said Zuko. "I am sorry mother made you feel otherwise. That is not fair of her."

"But what if she is right," she stammered. "What if I can't change? What if I'll always be-"

"She is wrong, Azula. She doesn't anything about us!"

"I cannot spend another minute alone with her, Zuko. Please, I know, you love her and I don't want her to go away… but I can't be forced to spend time with her or I'll go crazy."

"Is that why you ran away?"

She stepped away, wiping her face on her sleeve. "No… she made me so angry… I couldn't control myself."

"Nothing you could have done would make me love you any less," he said, looking her straight in the eye.

"I-I electrocuted the whole pond. Zuko, I'm so sorry," she burst with her shaking hands out before her. "They were just floating there, helpless. Fish and little turtle-ducks. I didn't want them to die. It was an accident."

"It's okay. It's going to be okay. I know things have been difficult and confusing. I should have been here. I will not make that mistake again. From this moment on, I will be right here to help you, I promise," he insisted, clutching her hands in his. "We are going to be alright."

"I I-I-...love you, Zu-zu," she whispered, lolling her head down.

He wrapped her in a big hug. "I love you, too, Azula."

He guided her back through the trees to where Arma was waiting on the beach. He kept his arm around her as her whole body quaked. He moved his hand to feel her bare arm. It was icy cold, but the side of her body which was tucked close to her brother was feverish. They emerged on from the jungle and Arma stood out of the grass. The moment Azula's eyes fell on her they narrowed and her muscles tightened to see the fondness in Zuko's smile. Her heart beat quickened. Zuko held Azula's hand.

"Azula, this is Arma. I wouldn't have found you without her help," said Zuko.

"Oh, really? How did you know where I was?" said Azula, fiercely.

"Azula?"

"Well? How did she? What does she get out of leading you to me?"

"Princess, I-" stammered Arma.

She moved too quickly. Zuko watched as the pupils in Azula's eyes dilate. He ran towards them, but Azula was faster. She struck a bolt of lightning directed at Arma. She kept her hands in as the jolt sent her sliding back in the sand. Arma directed the energy down, she stomped her foot and a puff of smoke exploded at her feet. She did not retaliate, instead looked over at Zuko.

"You see? She's here to take my bending!" Azula shrieked.

Zuko's eyes widened. "That's crazy, only the Avatar has that power."

"Then you're with her!"

"No, please, don't do this," he urged. "She is a friend."

"I have no friends, only back-stabbers!"

She powered her lightning, but now Zuko took the advantage. He wanted to subdue her, but he knew that even in this state they were evenly matched. She bore down on him with all her strength. He called for her to cease, dodging each bolt she cast. They receded back into the treeline where it was darker and avoiding her became more difficult. He could not fight her. He pulled her next shot in through his hand and down to his stomach, which brought him to a knee as he rid himself of the electricity into a nearby trunk. Arma put herself between them as the tree crashed to the ground spreading flames all around.

"We are on the same side, please," she implored.

As Azula raised her hand for the final blow, Arma grabbed her fingers right as the energy was released. She burned away the grass below her foot and grounded Azula's lightning. Zuko found his feet again as Arma released Azula's hand and faced both of her palms out. Azula hesitated, panting.

"What are you doing?"

"Your chi is blocked. You have locked the pathways to nearly every chakra in your body," said Arma as she squeezed her hands slowly into a fist. Azula's skin began to glow as if she were being lit from the inside. "I can help you, please."

"Azula, it's alright. I know you can trust her."

Looking at Zuko, her writhing and wiggling stopped. Her eyelids fluttered and fell over her eyes. Beads of sweat streamed down Arma's face. Zuko took a step back. The heat radiating from the both of them would soon singe away his eyebrows. Their energy choked the air and the wild fire, lapping at the foliage, died.

Suddenly, Azula's eyes flashed open. She shook and screamed.

"Arma, you have to stop!"

With Zuko's words, Arma opened her hands and Azula crumbled to the ground. He ran to his sister's side, putting a hand on her shoulder. Her clothes were damp with sweat. He said her name tentatively. She made a sound like a wild animal and swung at him. A wave of yellow fire followed the path that her hand had taken. Azula froze with her knees in the dirt.

"I-I can fire bend again..."


	8. From the Ashes

Zuko crouched beside him, moving strands of her dirty hair out of her face as Azula stared at her quivering palms. Her skin was still damp and feverish. He murmured words of comfort and gingerly lifted her to her feet. Her knees shook and Zuko felt most of her weight lean into him as they moved out of the brush and back onto the beach. None of them spoke, Arma followed a few steps behind them. When they emerged on the beach, Zuko unwound Azula from him. She stood, soberly starring where the waves met the sand.

"Is she going to be okay?" he murmured to Arma, who nodded. "How am I supposed to get her back home?"

"If she will let me I can carry her," said Arma.

"Is she going to be better now?"

"It isn't as simple as that. I can only prod and loosen the areas of spiritual tension. It will be up to Azula to alleviate the blocks in her chi, but I think help her to do it."

He nodded and returned to Azula's side. Gingerly he began to explain how they would start their journey home, but she interrupted him. Her fingers no longer shook as she ran her fingers through her hair, picking out tangles of leaves and twigs.

"I heard what you said. I will let her carry me and I will let her teach me," she said. Then, she looked at Zuko directly. "You have to promise me that you'll always be there. I can only trust her because you do, without you… I don't know if I will be able to control myself."

They were quite a sight as Azula, clung to Arma like a backpack and they shot off into the night sky. As they slowly made their way east, blue turned to orange and pink as the sun rose. The air grew hot and heavy. Zuko's flames could not compete with the heat in the air and his altitude fell. He measured his breaths, trying desperately to keep from looking at the plumet that awaited him if he could not sustain flight. Above and ahead of him was Arma showing no signs of fatigue, but she glimpsed him and started her descent.

"We'll take a break there," she called, jerking her head in the direction of a volcanic island. After resting a while they set off again and by late afternoon the familiar peak of the capitol island appeared.

They landed on the rocky flats and hiked back to the palace. The guards raised their arms in defense as the three of them emerged from the treeline. It took them a moment to recognize the royals through the dirty, scraped up faces and singed clothing, but once they did the clamour spread like a wild fire. Ursa appeared at the top of the steps just as they began to climb. She called out to her children with open arms. Zuko allowed her to embrace him, but Azula side stepped her and disappeared into the palace. He stopped his mother from calling after her.

"But-"

"Leave her alone, mother," said Zuko.

"She's always running from me."

With Azula's terror still fresh in his mind and his body throbbing from exhaustion, he reserved no patience for her. She followed him when he tried to make his own escape, voicing her worries and concerns.

"And then, a colonel informed me that you had vanished into the wild lands! For days, I thought I would never see you again," said Ursa. "I had half the mind to go after you myself."

"Then why didn't you? What stopped you from coming after me, or going after Azula the moment she came up missing? You say that you care and you do all these things to be sure everyone knows that the Dowager Lady loves her children, but what do you really do?"

The guards escorting them shuffled awkwardly as the Fire Lord shouted at Ursa. She crossed her hands over her front listening calmly. Zuko's face grew red and his fists clenched. He did not want to be so angry but her statuesque expression set his blood to boil.

"I do everything I can think of. I have spent time with her, tried to relate with her, tried to teach her…"

"She is a grown woman," said Zuko. "What are you trying to teach her?"

"You don't need to shout, Zuko. All I'm trying to do is show her how to be a proper young lady with manners and decency, but still she acts like a wild child. I never had these kinds of problems with you."

"That's because you weren't here when I had them. Uncle Iroh helped me through more than you could even imagine. But you, you told my damaged younger sister that she would never be normal! Well, guess what, mom, you're not normal, nor am I. We are just trying to find out best selves from the pieces we've been dealt," said Zuko.

His final words echoed momentarily in the silence. She dropped her head and murmured, "You're right."

His frustration would slowly ebb, but for now he turned away to retrieve Arma. Zuko held out his palm to her. It was the only skin not covered in dirt, ash, or blood. She placed her hand in his and he lead her deeper into the brilliantly decorated labyrinth of halls. They walked along for a while until a band of Kyoshi warriors turned a corner. Suki perked up from the middle of the little throng and rushed up to Zuko. She clicked her tongue over his scrapes and bruises, even prodding the stinging cuts on his elbow. He whipped his arm away from her, hissing.

"That hurts!" he barked.

"Maybe if you had back up it wouldn't have happened at all," said Suki.

"I wasn't entirely by myself," said Zuko, bringing Arma out from behind him. "But I was already like this when she found me."

They exchanged introductions, Suki's kindness flowed through, but she nearly objected when Zuko ordered the Kyoshi warriors to protect her and show her to the empty chamber right next to Azula. But Ty Lee bounced forward eagerly offering Arma her assistance. Suki released two more of her warriors to go with Ty Lee, while she and the others accompanied Zuko back to his chamber.

"So… who is she?"

"What do you mean? She's Arma," said Zuko, trying to make her sound irrational.

"You have never spoken about her in your entire life. Then, you disappear for almost a week-"

"A week? What are you talking about? I was gone a full day, maybe. I thought my mother would overreact, but not you, Suki," said Zuko.

He expected to see a wave of guilt cross her painted face, but each painted face echoed with confusion and concern. They had reached his chamber door, but waited.

"It was six days ago when Yan said you jumped towards with Wild Mountains and vanished. He wouldn't send anyone in after you and he also said he tried to convince you not to go, but you know what he didn't say? That you had a girl dressed in rags with you."

He was stuck on vanishing. He imagined watching himself disappear into thin air. Had he jumped directly through the veil between the material and spiritual worlds? It was not until Suki repeated his name a third time that he jarred out of his thoughts. His honesty flowed forth.

"I got lost in the spirit world."

"How did you get to the spirit world?"

"It's complicated. Anyways, it was Arma who found me and lead me out. It took everything we had to bring Azula back, so by the time we reached the shores, we all looked like beggars," said Zuko. "You can find out everything else you want to know by talking to Arma tomorrow."

"Alright, I will," said Suki, as Zuko opened the door. "There is protocol for those who interact in such close relation with the Fire Lord and his family. She will have to clear all the screenings."

"I know," said Zuko.

The procedures had been put in place in the first year of Zuko's reign, when tensions were high and blood was hot. Every week a new threat would attempt to break through security and find the new Fire Lord. It had been the Kyoshi Warriors who came in to retrieve Zuko from the hysterics he experienced in the wake of each threat. Now, his chamber in the topmost tower felt safe and secure.

Servants brought forth new clothes, warm towels, and even fresh bandages. They were prepared it seems to receive him in the worst possible condition. He dismissed them, only to have Suki chastise him for declining help again.

"I am a grown man, I can wash and dress myself," he said, heatedly.

But when he climbed out of the bath, he did call for her. He had washed his wounds clean which redoubled the pain. He sat on a stool with his night shirt draped over his legs. He grumbled his thanks as she took the gauze from him. Suki's cool hands grew warm as she began to wrap the long scrapes on Zuko's arm.

"You really should be more careful with your skin. Scars take a long time to fade," she said, trying to be conversational.

"I can just add it to the collection," he mumbled, darkly.

He turned his shoulders to offer her more of his arm for wrapping and she saw the shadowy remains of a sun shaped scar in the center of his chest. She apologized quickly and pinned the bandages into place.

"It's no big deal, Suki, really," he said, stretching his arms out as he pulled on his night shirt. "I'm just tired. Thanks for your help."

He lounged in a large armchair by the hearth. A warm, sinking came over him and he thought he would fall asleep right there to the sound of Suki's voice speaking incoherently in the distance, until he felt pressure on his forearm. He blinked, refocusing.

"-never see you again…"

Suki kneeled at his side with her gaze downcast. Her voice was like the coo of a cat-owl hatchling as she stroked Zuko's sleeve with her thumb. He shifted his body and her eyes flashed up. The blush burned through her war paint, but she didn't move away.

"What are you talking about?"

"Nothing," she said, too quickly. "You mean a lot to me, Zuko."

"Of course," he yawned. "I'd probably be dead without you."

She shook her head, removed her hand from him and left the room, leaving Zuko to drift back off into a restful sleep. Suki left the Kyoshi Warriors and disappeared around the corner. She beat herself up over her pitiful feelings for weeks. She respected Zuko for all that he had accomplished and after despising him so wholeheartedly while they were young… She shook the thought out of her head and carried on down the corridor. Finally she reached the guest chambers, where she found Ty-lee waiting with Sugu.

"What did you learn about her?" said Suki to Ty Lee.

"She has a very deep connection with the earth and the spirit world. Her aura is a gold-ish white and wonderfully warm. It's no wonder Zuko is in love with her."

"What?!"

They both jumped. It was midday and no one would come running down the hall at the outburst. Still, Ty Lee hushed her as Azula would be easily woken in the room across from them. Suki clenched her fists and continued her question measuredly.

"What makes you think Zuko is in love with her?"

"Well… she is obviously the one he's been sneaking off with. You know, the one he was rambling about after we found him on the beach?" continued Ty-lee.

"Yeah," piped up Sugu. "She's amazed by the palace. She even said he tried to make her come here when they spoke _months_ ago, but she wouldn't."

"That sounds obvious enough to me," said Ty-lee, cheerily.

Suki left them, too. With these new facts swirling around her mind she wandered out into the gardens where she had once spied on Zuko feeding turtle-ducks. He was really very handsome with a sharp jaw and thoughtful golden eyes, but maybe she had been away from Sokka too long. She sat on a little red bench and pulled two notes out of her pocket. The first was so well read that the scribbles of text were starting to fade. It was the first letter Sokka had written to her. She smiled and tucked it securely back in its home. The other, she flattened against her leg and read for a third time:

_Suki,_ _I miss you. I can't wait until we can talk again. It's been three and a half months now since your last letter. Do you remember when we stayed up all night talking, but didn't even realise it until the sun started to come up? I do, its one of my favorites. I can't wait to see you this summer. I hope you will want to catch a few sun rises with me._ _Love, Sokka_

She folded the letter and started to cry.

* * *

With plenty of help and Arma's direction, one of the empty halls of the palace was converted into a healing pool. A rope hammock was assembled on pulleys that would raise and lower the sling into the still, blue water. It took three days to convince Azula to try out the contraption and only when all guards and warriors were out of sight. Once lowered into the pool, Arma swirled fire above the water producing little bubbles of steam to rise on the tile floor.

Azula drew deep measured breaths and closed her eyes as she was lowered into the shallow water. For hours, the temperature of the pool would rise until it boiled and bubbled. Then, it would slowly come back down to the comfortable temperature of a warm bath. All the while, Azula lay there as if asleep. Zuko paced the length of the pool, watching vigilantly, as Arma worked diligently.

"How many times will she have to do this?" asked Zuko.

Arma wiped beads of sweat from her brow. "It is up to her. Khan and Lee, the spirits who showed me this technique were the guardians of a relaxing hot spring. At this point all I am doing is keeping helping her stay comfortable so she can open her chi paths."

"Do you think she is improving?"

"In a few days, we will be able to see for sure," said Arma, who had advised Azula to keep from bending until they had been working together a full week.

There was a faint splash of water as Azula shifted on the rope. Her brow furrowed and slowly she woke up. Zuko waited for her to lift her head before cranking the pulley and hoisting the sling out of the warm water. Arma helped her down, wrapping a towel around her shoulders.

"How are you feeling?"

"Like my fever is breaking," she murmured.

Zuko put his hands on Azula's shoulders rubbing them gently as if to help dry her off. She allowed him to for a moment as she wringed the water from her hair, then shrugged away. Arma guided her back to an adjoining chamber where Azula could change. He watched her lips moving as she closed the door, laughing.

"Thank you for everything," said Zuko when she returned to the pool side.

"You're welcome," said Arma, with a little chuckle as she removed the rubber stopper from the bottom of the pool. "But Azula is doing the heavy lifting at this stage."

"I know," he said, moving closer to her. "I'm just glad you… both get along."

Solitude was a short-lived luxury in the halls of the Fire Nation palace and, now that he finally had a moment alone with her he couldn't figure out what to say. Though his heart raced, the silence did not panic him like it did with Mai. A strand of her auburn hair fell out of the tail she had tied hastily at the nape of her neck. He reached up and pushed it behind her ear, brushing his fingertips against her skin.

"Why don't you just kiss and get it over with?" said Azula, sharply. "I won't tell, mother."

"I-I," Zuko stammered, taking a few steps away from Arma.

"What? It's obvious," she continued fiddling with her damp locks.

"Do you need help?" asked Arma.

Azula had attempted to tame her own hair, but was left with a tangled mess and a wet spot on her blouse. Servants followed her out of the adjoined chamber and presented her with two cushions where she and Arma sat to comb through the tangles. After shaking off his temporary discomfort, Zuko stood near them with his arms crossed.

When dating Mai, he was constantly on edge wondering what would cause them to argue next. While most of him thought that the constant bickering came mostly from their clashing personalities, it still caused him to be hesitant in engaging with Arma. She never made him feel nervous. She made him feel comfortable, empowered even. He did not want her to leave. He could not bear to see her with that expression of aversion and disappointment.

"I want to spar soon," said Azula.

"Do you feel like that's a good idea?"

Azula raised her cupped hands and produced a candle-like flame in her palms. She made it grow and shrink in her hands as she breathed. "I do."

"We can meet in the circle at dawn," Zuko said. "It won't be too hot."

"Tomorrow? Really? I figured you would still insist for seven days, Zu-zu."

"You are in charge of your healing, Azula. You are the only one who really knows what you are capable of," he said.

She looked up at him with the twitchings of a real smile. Arma twisted Azula's hair into a knot and pinned it neatly at the top of her head. Zuko extended his arm to his sister and helped her to her feet. The three of them emerged from the room in high spirits, only to come face to face with Suki, who was clicking her tongue. Zuko's smile faltered.

"What?"

"You had a royal council meeting which started ten minutes ago," she said.

"The Fire Lord can keep his council waiting as long as he pleases," snapped Azula. "It is his right."

"I know that, but its not polite."

"I'm sorry, Suki. I'll be on my way right now," said Zuko. Then, he turned to Arma and Azula. "What have you got planned for the rest of the day?"

"I need to sit in the sun for a while," said Arma.

"But it's almost high noon, you'll get scorched," said Suki.

After the passing of the summer solstice, the Fire Nation experienced sweltering hot afternoons for nearly three months. Suki and her Kyoshi warriors were accustomed to mild summers with gentle ocean breezes to keep them cool, but all three of the Fire Nation natives raised their eyebrows.

"I think the statuary will be a lovely place for a walk," said Azula, linking arms with Arma. "Have you seen the great stones of Kwan the Vicious?"

They wandered off, leaving Zuko to lead the Kyoshi warriors through the twisting halls to the throne room. Suki was at his coat tails. He could hear her breathing and he did not like the aggravation he felt at the sound, so he froze and turned to her.

"What's wrong?!" he demanded.

Suki blinked. "I-I… what are you talking about?"

"Ever since we got back, you have been acting different. As your friend and the Fire Lord, I insist that you tell me what's going on."

She sighed. "I'm sorry, Zuko. All we found on Arma is one class portrait at one of the National Academies. She only attended three months there. I can't trust her and with you and Azula both so close to her… I feel like I was not allowed to say anything."

"Don't ever need to feel like you're not allowed to say something, jeez. That feels weird even to say. Suki, where did you get an idea like that?"

Suki laughed a little, "I don't know, but there it is. Arma makes me feel uncomfortable."

"She is really nice. Sometimes she can be kind of like you," he said, comfortingly. "You probably just need to spend a little more time with her."

"Yeah, maybe," she mumbled. "You need to go."

"Right, see you," he said, carrying on down the corridor with the other two warriors.

Discussion could be heard out in the hall, but when the doors banged open silence fell immediately. The Kyoshi warriors filed dramatically past him into their designated posts around the room. Someone had already light the fires all around the room, casting a warm glow all around.

"What business has stirred you all so passionately? Certainly it should not be halted when the Fire Lord arrives," said Zuko, ascending the crimson stone steps.

"It was not a matter of state, my lord," said Admiral Yan, bowing his head with the other generals as Zuko took his seat. "But in the pursuit of transparency we were discussing the dowager lady."

"Really?"

It had been nearly two weeks since Zuko had spoken to his mother and, in that time, he barely glimpsed her around the palace. His stomach flipped to consider how easy it would have been for her to slip out of the palace without him knowing. Not that he would blame her, if it made her happy. He tapped his fingers on the wooden arm of his chair.

"Are you going to tell me what is going on or do I have to ask?" he said.

"Well… Fire Lord Zuko, she has been very sullen as of late. It has become apparent to all of us that she has not dined with you or Princess Azula since your return from the Wild Mountains."

"The princess and I dine together," said Zuko. "There is nothing stopping my mother from eating dinner with us."

"Yes, you are right."

"If my mother is not happy here, then she will speak with me," said Zuko. "This is silly, if you are all done gossiping, I am sure there are more important things to deal with."


End file.
